Acentre dedicated to researching the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in children is to be set up in Scotland.

The Muir Maxwell Centre for Childhood Epilepsy Research, to be based at the University of Edinburgh, will help diagnose epilepsy earlier in a child's life. The university says that it will be the first medical research centre in the UK to focus solely on translating laboratory findings on childhood epilepsy into improving clinical care.

The centre is being funded by a £1million pledge from the Muir Maxwell Trust, a children's epilepsy charity established by Ann and Jonny Maxwell. The couple, who live near Edinburgh, set up the charity when their son Muir, who is now 12,  was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was aged five.  

Ms Maxwell said: "This research centre represents an opportunity for the Muir Maxwell Trust to contribute to the practical application of leading global research to the treatment of childhood epilepsy."

Professor Sir John Savill, head of the university's medicine and veterinary medicine college, said: "We are delighted to begin this partnership with the Muir Maxwell Trust, which has already made such an important difference to the lives of children living with epilepsy.

"Our aim is to gain greater understanding of the disease and to use that knowledge to develop better preventative measures and treatments for children with epilepsy."

The funding will help establish key clinical and scientific posts at the centre, and it is hoped that the centre will become self-sufficient through funding for research and from grants and donations within five years.